1. Field
This invention relates to necked container filling machines principally those of the carousel type, and particularly concerns a unique fluid sealing device having unique bottle guide and fill seal means for use on such machines.
2. Prior Art
Conventional fluid filling machines such as are used for filling beer or soft drink bottles typically are constructed to provide multiple filling stations which move along in a continuous conveyor-like manner, e.g., in a circle, and while so moving, progressively perform various operations leading to filling of the bottles. With such machines, conveyor systems are provided for bringing empty bottles to the machines and for removing filled bottles therefrom.
Typical of such filling machines is the carousel type shown and described in detail in the service manual entitled EUROSTAR BOTTLE FILLER, SERVICE MANUAL, Copyright 1980 TECHNAPAC, Inc., The Barry-Wehmiller Company, 318 pages, and particularly on pages 1- 1, 1-2, and 2-1 thru 2-14 thereof, which manual is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety.
For further background information, the progressive operations of such machines as described above, are shown in schematic form in FIGS. 1 and 2 herein marked Prior Art, and with the operations approximately delineated by position and numbered progressively Op. #1-Op. #5. In FIG. 2, the circular or rotational actions of the machine of FIG. 1 are depicted in linear form for clarification.
In these figures Op. #1 brings the bottles 10 to Op. #2 in feed star wheel A which moves the bottles in a circle toward the tangential junction area B of star wheel A and in registry with the moving bottle supports or pads C (only one shown in dotted line) of the rotating carousel. After each bottle is positioned by star wheel A on a support C, the bottle is lifted vertically in Op. #3 by a support cylinder (e.g., air) and the bottle neck top D is engaged, captured and sealed at J by a centering cup E shown in simplistic form. Referring to FIG. 1, elevation of support C in Op. #4A, moves the bottle 10 and cup E upwardly to a point where a seal unit F in the centering cup is pressed against neck top D and a sealing surface G surrounding a fill port H on a filler bowl I on the machine. Typically at this stage (#4B) the air in the bottle is evacuated, and then pressure equalization in the bottle and fill bowl is performed at Op. #4C, and filling of the bottle takes place at Op. #4D. When the filling is completed, the support C is moved downwardly in Op. #5, typically by a cam ramp provided on a non-rotating structure of the machine and engageable with a cam follower on support C. With the bottle now in its retracted position, it is captured in another star wheel J tangentially of the carousel and moved onto further processing operations such as bottle snifting and capping.
It is particularly noted that depending on the type and make of filling machine, the location of the various operations described above may be different, however, the present invention is applicable to any such machine wherein the bottles are lifted into sealing position for evacuation, filling and the like.
In the operation of such filling machines which often process 150 or more glass or plastic bottles at a time, and under CO.sub.2 or other gas pressures of for example, 40 to 80 Psig, many leakage or other disaster events, albeit not usually life threatening, are encountered. Such events include explosion or deformation of bottles due to inherent weaknesses in their structures or to excessive gas pressurization, or by improper control of the lift cylinder mechanisms for the bottle supports which causes excessive pressures on the filler seal or the bottle itself, or leakage resulting from inaccurate alignment of the bottle neck, filler seal and fill port.
A further problem encountered with such machines is the lost or down time and labor requirements necessitated by changing over various elements of the machine to accommodate different size bottles, e.g., shorter or taller, as well as different sizes or configurations of the bottle necks. Such problems are exemplified, for example, by the cup seal structures shown in FIGS. 2-10 of the aforesaid service manual publication, and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,063,978; 3,491,803; 4,335,761; 5,501,253; and 4,467,846, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety, and particularly as regards their disclosures of bottle filling machines which obviously can utilize the present invention.
In these prior machines, the seals are not only dedicated essentially to a single bottle neck size and configuration, but the seals are incorporated into mounting structures on the filling machines in such a manner as to make changeovers difficult, time consuming and expensive. In this regard, where it is necessary to change over such structures, especially on a frequent basis, storage of the different sizes and configurations of the seals, guides, and other structures produces dirty and unsightly areas in the filling room.